Woodson, J. (2003). Locomotion. New York: Scholastic
The Book Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson is about a young 11 year old African American boy named Lonnie Collins Motion or Locomotion and is written in his perspective. It takes place in Harlem New York. It is all written in poem form “cause every time I try to tell the whole story my mind goes, Be quiet!” (p. 1) Throughout the story you learn about his past and the everyday struggles that he deals with. Ms. Marcus is his teacher and is always telling him to “write it down before it leaves your brain.” Ms. Edna is Lonnie’s foster mother that he lives with that is always telling him to be quiet. Lonnie lost his parent in a house fire and since then his little sister Lili are sent to separate and completely different kinds of foster homes. As the book progresses it reveals a lot about the struggles in his life and the friends and family he has and the ones he has lost.
After reading this book I could see how many African American boys might easily relate to this book. It talks about the struggles of living in the inner city, losing parents, kids not attending class and how important new shoes are even if you can’t afford dinner. It changed my perception of students who might be in my classroom by the fact that I learned that sometimes students express their thoughts in their own unique way and sometimes it doesn’t always meet the traditional form.
This book has enhanced my cultural awareness of students that may be are growing up in the inner city. It allowed me to look at life from different perspective than my own. To me, there is something to learn from everyone’s unique experience. That learning can be from losing your parents, to living with foster parents, or losing your sibling. One of the poems I thought showed me a great deal of cultural awareness was, Hey Dog, it speaks about the dream of boys growing up to have, “some slamming kicks, a shearling coat, a pocket full of money, a pretty girl” (p. 55) and a phat deal with the Nets and how everyone will call each other dog.
The new insights I now have is the fact that writing can come in any form. Sometimes it’s done right sometimes it not but it is about allowing students to express their feeling that is the important. It allows us to be accepting of the differences of people that we encounter in our journey as teachers.
Is this text relevant to my teaching practice and the classroom community? Of course it is. In my classroom I may not have 32 students of this background but it only requires one to have to deal with to learn from this book. To me it could also apply to students of any minority or lower economic background.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I found it extremely easy to read and kept me turning the pages. I like the fact that you can pick it up even if you only have two minutes because every poem is a max of three pages and that you could come back to it for inspiration on those days that the kids are pushing the limit. I also think it helps us as teachers remember that kids are all different and that we must be accepting of those differences and you see that in every single one of the poems.
Yes I would use this book with my students. I would use it to teach diversity of students and also the importance of writing down how you feel even if it doesn’t use perfect grammar. I think kids would relate to this book for the single fact that it is written from a child’s perspective.
Woodson, J. (2003). Locomotion. New York: Scholastic
The Book Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson is about a young 11 year old African American boy named Lonnie Collins Motion or Locomotion and is written in his perspective. It takes place in Harlem New York. It is all written in poem form “cause every time I try to tell the whole story my mind goes, Be quiet!” (p. 1) Throughout the story you learn about his past and the everyday struggles that he deals with. Ms. Marcus is his teacher and is always telling him to “write it down before it leaves your brain.” Ms. Edna is Lonnie’s foster mother that he lives with that is always telling him to be quiet. Lonnie lost his parent in a house fire and since then his little sister Lili are sent to separate and completely different kinds of foster homes. As the book progresses it reveals a lot about the struggles in his life and the friends and family he has and the ones he has lost.
After reading this book I could see how many African American boys might easily relate to this book. It talks about the struggles of living in the inner city, losing parents, kids not attending class and how important new shoes are even if you can’t afford dinner. It changed my perception of students who might be in my classroom by the fact that I learned that sometimes students express their thoughts in their own unique way and sometimes it doesn’t always meet the traditional form.
This book has enhanced my cultural awareness of students that may be are growing up in the inner city. It allowed me to look at life from different perspective than my own. To me, there is something to learn from everyone’s unique experience. That learning can be from losing your parents, to living with foster parents, or losing your sibling. One of the poems I thought showed me a great deal of cultural awareness was, Hey Dog, it speaks about the dream of boys growing up to have, “some slamming kicks, a shearling coat, a pocket full of money, a pretty girl” (p. 55) and a phat deal with the Nets and how everyone will call each other dog.
The new insights I now have is the fact that writing can come in any form. Sometimes it’s done right sometimes it not but it is about allowing students to express their feeling that is the important. It allows us to be accepting of the differences of people that we encounter in our journey as teachers.
Is this text relevant to my teaching practice and the classroom community? Of course it is. In my classroom I may not have 32 students of this background but it only requires one to have to deal with to learn from this book. To me it could also apply to students of any minority or lower economic background.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I found it extremely easy to read and kept me turning the pages. I like the fact that you can pick it up even if you only have two minutes because every poem is a max of three pages and that you could come back to it for inspiration on those days that the kids are pushing the limit. I also think it helps us as teachers remember that kids are all different and that we must be accepting of those differences and you see that in every single one of the poems.
Yes I would use this book with my students. I would use it to teach diversity of students and also the importance of writing down how you feel even if it doesn’t use perfect grammar. I think kids would relate to this book for the single fact that it is written from a child’s perspective.